Beauty Benefits of Zen & Meditation

Beauty Benefits of Mindfulness

The good news is that there is a beauty practice that is easy, free and excellent for your overall health. Some say that meditation is the fountain of youth. An attitude of gratitude changes your brain. And, Zen can benefit your skin and beauty. What exactly is Zen? Zen is a the Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes the value of meditation. The bottom line, training your brain to focus on gratitude, positive thoughts, and deep relaxation improves your health and overall beauty, the kind of beauty that comes from the inside and glows. It also improves your physical beauty from a cellular level. Read more to learn how meditation, mindfulness and gratitude changes your health and beauty.

Meditation, Beauty & Your Skin

To meditate you sit still, breathe deeply and allow your mind to relax. Studies show meditation reduces stress. We are also learning that meditation improves your appearance. Stress is the root of many mental and physical health issues, but it also affects your appearance.

Refreshes Your Appearance

During meditation you breathe deeply, relax your muscles and allow your mind to be clear, present and calm. As you breathe deeply, the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your skin increases. This purposeful, or mindful, breathing improves your cellular health and gives your skin a fresh and more youthful glow.

The relaxation and positive energy that comes with meditation softens the features on your face, smoothing out wrinkles and tension. When you complete your regular meditation sessions you feel refreshed and your appearance reflects that.

Slows Aging

The mind is a powerful tool, and you can use your mind to improve your beauty and slow aging from the inside out.

Daily meditation slows the aging process in your body.

Have you ever heard of a telomere? Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that function as markers for cellular aging.

Meditation can lengthen telomeres. Studies in 2009 and 2016 have shown that Zen meditation experts had longer telomeres than people that did not meditate, and Zen practitioners had fewer shorter telomeres.

“Telomeres listen to you, they listen to your behaviors, they listen to your state of mind,” said Elizabeth Blackburn, Nobel prize winner and president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif.

Mindful meditation also lowers blood pressure and reduces tension related aches and pains. So, the daily practice of relaxing, breathing and clearing your mind slows the aging process from the inside out and that benefits your health, skin and beauty.

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and a lifestyle of lack of sleep, stress, poor diet, and bad habits shows up in the condition and appearance of your skin. Get tips from renown Scottsdale facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Robert H. Woods on healthy foods to improve your beauty.

An Attitude of Gratitude & Your Beauty

Developing an attitude of gratitude physically changes your brain and improves your mental and physical health. In today’s society it is easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what you don’t have, that which is lacking in your life. Social media also fosters negative comparisons, especially about one’s appearance.

Daily Gratitude

Studies show that a regular, daily practice of expressing gratitude, either in writing or speech, unshackles toxic emotions and improves your mental health. This daily gratitude practice doesn’t have to be shared publicly, but openly expressing gratitude to others, really ramps up the positive impact for you and adds the extra benefit of spreading a little joy to others. Feeling good inside and a smile are truly things of beauty.

Ways to Practice Gratitude & Build Your Beauty

Please & Thank You

Take the time to express your thanks to those around you. This makes you happier and nurtures your relationships. A simple verbal thank you is powerful. A written thank you note is even better.

Count Your Blessings

Take the time each day to mentally, or better yet speaking aloud when alone in the car or on a walk, list all your blessings and the positive things in your life. You can even express gratitude for the positive things that haven’t even happened yet, but that you are desiring. Challenge yourself for one month to change from speaking about lack and negativity to only expressing gratitude and positive words and see what happens. You might surprise yourself.

Meditate

As part of your mindful meditation, focus on positive feelings, thoughts and energy. If the negative slips in, stop your thought, and replace it with a positive thought of gratitude.

What does all of this have to do with beauty you might ask? Beauty starts inside. Beauty is born from your physical well being and your mental and emotional health. Start your beauty practice today. Ommmmm…..